Our Community

Our Community

Our community

The community that worships at the St Joseph's Church in Tilehurst, Reading, strives to be open and welcoming. Like any place where people gather, the shape and make-up of the community has changed over the years. We now have a great diversity of background and culture, nationality and age represented in our congregation which in one sense demonstrates the inclusive nature of the Catholic Church.

We come together to worship and praise God and to develop the ties which bind us. Through the celebration of the Mass, especially on Sundays, we nurture the communion between us in order that we can continue the mission Christ gave us: ‘to go out and bear fruit, fruit that will last‘. We do so as a community of faith which forms part of the Catholic Diocese of Portsmouth. There are all kinds of groups and all sorts of activities going on at St Joseph's parish which flow from our commitment to bring the Good News of Jesus Christ to the world in which we live. Often, this involves doing very practical and down to earth things. More information about a number of these can be found through this website.

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Syro malabar community

Syro Malabar community

Syro Malabar Catholics trace their origin to St Thomas the Apostle who is said to have come to India in 52 AD and to have been martyred near Chennai,India. Seven churches in (South India ) Kerala and Tamil Nadu are commonly said to have been founded by the Apostle, and a Christian tradition grew up from there, linked to the East Syrian Church, which was a primary source for Syro Malabar Christians' liturgy, spirituality, governance and practices.

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St Pauls Catholic Primary School

St Paul's Catholic Primary School

The majority of pupils are of White British heritage. Other pupils are from a range of ethnic backgrounds including Indian, Irish and African. The proportion of pupils who speaks English as an additional language is in line with the national average.

The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs supported through school action is below average. The proportion supported through school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is well below average.

The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals or in the care of the local authority, for whom the school receives additional funding (the pupil premium), is well below the national average.

The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.

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Blessed Hugh Faringdon Catholic School

Blessed Hugh Faringdon Catholic School

Blessed Hugh Faringdon Catholic School is an oversubscribed, high performing, co-educational school of 870 pupils which includes a thriving Sixth Form of 130 students. Graded as "Good" by OFSTED in 2012 and "Good with outstanding features" by the Diocese of Portsmouth in 2013, the school is located in West Reading. In 2014 the school was designated a high performing school by the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust - a "Leading Edge" school. In 2015 the school's excellent progress placed it in the top 17% of schools in England. Blessed Hugh Faringdon Catholic School has been on the Sunday Times published list of the top 500 state schools in 2013, 2014 and 2015. Blessed Hugh Faringdon has also been the Reading Secondary School of the Year for Sport in 2014 and in 2015 - in part a recognition of the excellence that exists in rugby at the school - we hold the RFU "Gold" standard and enthusiastically take part in their "All Schools" programme.